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Oxford BioDynamics: Bupa deal boost for biotech small cap

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Oxford BioDynamics LON:OBD is a biotechnology company developing precision medicine tests based on its EpiSwitch 3D genomics platform. It has just announced a strategic agreement with Bupa, the UK’s leading health insurer, to give Bupa patients access to its EpiSwitch CiRT, aka the Checkpoint inhibitor Response Test.

The EpiSwitch CiRT is a first-of-its-kind blood test that accurately predicts an individual cancer patient’s therapeutic response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), providing unique benefits for physicians in treatment planning and navigating complex decisions.

The news boosted shares in Oxford BioDynamics, which jumped from 32.37p to trade at 39.6p. Shares in the biotech stock are up over 234% in the last 30 days. This followed earlierv news

ICIs offer a real hope of durable disease control for some patients. Despite pre-screening with current standard tests such as tumor PD-L1 expression, these costly ICIs offer a long-term survival advantage to less than 1 in 4 patients, and many may become seriously ill and require hospital admission.

Current testing modalities lack the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy to identify those most likely to benefit from this class of therapy – the CiRT blood test is a first-of-its-kind test that addresses all of these shortcomings.


Oxford BioDynamics improving quality of patient care

Under this new agreement between Bupa and OBD, Bupa health insurance customers who are being considered for immunotherapy with an anti-PD-1/L1 ICI will be offered the CiRT test, ensuring their doctor receives state-of-the-art personalized guidance to inform their treatment plan.

The partnership underscores the shared vision of Bupa and OBD to improve the quality of patient care, while sparing many individuals from unwarranted side effects from ICI treatments that are ineffective for them.

The CiRT test will also be available to doctors considering treating Bupa customers with an ICI, where decisions need to be made in the face of potential serious illness and lack of response to treatment.

Tim Woodman, Medical Director at Bupa UK Insurance, said: “This agreement reflects our commitment to leverage advanced precision medicine testing to transform cancer care and provide doctors with the tools they need to make informed decisions. Together with Oxford BioDynamics, we aim to make a positive impact on the lives of all our customers living with cancer.”

Joining forces with a pioneering healthcare organization like Bupa will enhance access to the EpiSwitch CiRT test across the UK. Gaining reimbursement from the UK’s leading health insurer is another milestone for Oxford BioDynamics and its shareholders, as well as for Bupa customers and their doctors.

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